Inserter systems, which assemble batches of documents for insertion into envelopes, are known in the art and are generally used by organizations which make large mailings where the contents of each envelope may vary. Large multi-station inserter systems typically include some or all of the following: a plurality of feeder modules for feeding sheets into a batch; a web module for separating webs into discreet sheets and feeding the discrete sheets into the batch; folder modules for folding individual sheets or batches; an envelope module for feeding envelopes into which the batches are to be inserted; a transport system for conveying the batches through the various modules of the inserter system; an insertion module for inserting the batches into envelopes; and meter modules for metering the filled envelopes with appropriate postage. Additionally, multi-station inserter systems may include modules for assembling a collation of sheets fed from a feeder module for further processing, and modules for turning the sheets or envelopes for further processing. A control system is used to synchronize the operation of the various modules in the inserter system to assure that the batches are properly assembled, inserted into envelopes and, possibly, metered, at a high rate.
Although the types of modules used in the inserter system are generally standardized, the configuration of the inserter systems are not. Typically, the multi-station inserter systems are configured to meet a particular application of each customer. Thus, the configuration of such inserter systems varies depending on the customer and the particular application for the inserter system by the customer. In customizing large inserter systems using generally standardized modules the flexibility of the control system to easily adapt to any configuration changes is most important.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,547,856, issued on Oct. 15, 1985 to Piotroski et al., and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, there is disclosed a universal multi-station document inserter, including a central processor interconnected to a plurality of distributed processors associated with the inserter modules. A supervisory program operating in the central processor controls the modules of the inserter in accordance with instructions programmed into the distributed processors associated therewith. The supervisory program capable of running all the modules of the inserter and performing all control functions is stored in plug-in PROMS which are coupled to the central processor. An additional PROM couple to the central processor includes a data table which specifies a particular inserter configuration and the functions to be performed for that configuration by the executable routines in the supervisory program.
An example of a known method for customizing a multi-station inserter is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 4,497,040, issued Jan. 29, 1985 to Gomes et al., and assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
By using the foregoing format, it was thought that there would be no need to change any of the executable programs in the central processor, and that the same supervisory program could be incorporated into the central processor of each multi-station inserter. This was certainly the case for modules that were known at the time the supervisory program was developed. However, as new modules were developed it became clear that, at least for certain new modules, the supervisory program had to be revised to be capable of running the new modules and performing the control functions for the new module. Such revision to the supervisory program not only required verification of the revised portions but also required a reverification of the entire supervisory program to ensure that the revision had not effected the performance of the supervisory functions.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a supervisory control system that can be more easily adapted to handle new modules in an inserter configuration.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a supervisory control system that facilitates adding modules that perform new functions in an inserter system.